


Phoenix From The Ashes

by whisperinginthelibrary



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-23 20:38:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9675215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whisperinginthelibrary/pseuds/whisperinginthelibrary
Summary: Franky and Erica attempt to reunite under the saddest of circumstances





	

Franky Doyle put the phone receiver down in its cradle. She was in shock. Numb to the core. She could feel nausea building up in her throat as the effects of the news that she had just heard took over her body.Ten minutes ago she had been a reformed ex-con working in a legal aid office. Ten minutes ago she had been a conscientious student studying to become a lawyer. Ten minutes ago she had a hole in her heart which the love of her life should have filled but she hadn't seen her for over two years and time while not a great healer was doing its little bit in helping her to cope. Ten minutes ago she had been dancing and singing along in her apartment to the upbeat songs on her radio when she had heard her phone ringing. 

'Shit' she had laughed to herself 'This better be good . Interrupting me when I'm dancing!' 

She turned down the volume of the music and picked up the receiver 

'Hello' 

'Franky ?' 

'Yeah who wants to know ?' 

'It's Will Jackson from Wentworth. I'm sorry to be ringing you Franky but I've got some really bad news ' 

Franky could feel her stomach start to churn at what she was about to hear. One of her girls obviously.It couldn't be anything else.Not to warrant a phone call to her home.But which one ....Boomer, Liz, Doreen but please god please not Red 

'There was an incident at the prison today' Will Jackson was continuing ' An altercation between Joan Ferguson and Bea Smith' 

When Franky heard her best friends name all her worse fears were realised. She wanted to scream but no sound would come out. She was vaguely aware of Will saying something about a stabbing; how they hadn't been able to stop the bleeding in time; that Ferguson was in maximum security with a charge of murder hanging over her. None of this did Franky give a fuck about.All she was able to comprehend was that someone she cared about, really really cared about was dead. That she would never see Bea Smith again.She had managed to murmur a 'goodbye' at the end of the call.She became aware that the radio was still on . The same upbeat music. But now it didn't cheer her. Quite the opposite in fact. It filled her with rage and anger. Franky had just lost probably her best friend and she couldn't understand why the rest of the world hadn't stopped to share her grief.The DJ was announcing the next song -'Happy ' by Pharrell Williams.The worst possible choice to Franky Doyle at that particular moment in time. She grabbed the radio and smashed it against the wall ,glassy shards flying everywhere. 

'Shut the fuck up' she screamed at it. 

The brunette then moved over as if in a trance to her sofa, sat down and let the tears take over.Her emotion was raw and hysterical with her screaming sobs only intermittantly stopping to allow her to breathe.Her upper body and shoulders wracked with every cry and just at that moment it was, to Franky Doyle, as if the whole world had vanished.She dug her nails deeper and deeper into the side of the furniture in an attempt to stop her self from falling so violent was her shaking.She cried and cried until her tear ducts metaphorically at least seemed to run dry; till she had nothing left to give. Her eyes were bloodshot red and puffy and the makeup that she had applied earlier that day was now just a congealed mess on her face. She forced herself to stand and made her way slowly to the bathroom. She did not dare look at herself in the mirror for fear of triggering her emotions once again. She turned on the cold water tap and cupped the ice cold liquid in her hands before bringing it up to her face in an attempt to revive herself.After a few minutes she was vaguely aware of a semblance of normality returning.She was still in deep shock and in no fit state to work. She left the bathroom , retrieved the phone and dialled her work. Somehow Franky was able to hold it together as she spoke.She could have lied,made up as story that she was sick but that was not her way. Speak the truth and to hell with the consequences. She knew she was taking a risk having been in the job only a short time. But her boss was incredibly sympathetic. Word of the events at Wentworth had started to slip out and was starting to gain some traction with the local news stations. Today was a Wednesday. Franky was told to take the rest of the week off which would allow her time to come to terms with her own emotions and to attend Bea's funeral most likely on the Friday. She remembered putting down the phone, going to one of her cupboards to get a bottle of Vodka that she was saving for a special occasion, one glass and then..... oblivion. 

Friday. The day of the funeral. Franky Doyle had the hangover from hell.Her apartment was a mess of discarded ready meals, dirty cutlery , cups and glasses, all compounded by a stench of stale air. 'Holy good fuck' was all that she was able to manage as she surveyed the scene. Lifting one of the glasses she went into the kitchen and forced herself to drink as much cold water as she could manage.Walking towards the bathroom she caught a glance of herself in the mirror and barely recognised the dishevelled person looking back at her. 

'Shit Francesca' she spoke to her reflection.'What a mess. Now come on . Get your self together. This is your friend you're going to say goodbye to. She deserves so much better.' 

With that Franky stripped off the same clothes she'd been wearing for the past three days and stepped under the steaming water of the shower. The water was as hot as Franky could stand as she let it cascade down over her body. Normally she would have loved the warmth that the shower provided but on this occasion it brought no pleasure; it was purely a necessity. She closed her eyes and brought into focus the pictures of Bea that she knew would never leave her mind. It was with reluctance that she turned off the shower; not because of the enjoyment it had given her but rather that it was time to get ready for one of the most difficult occasions she would ever have to face.She dressed as soberly as possible , picked up her front door keys and prepared to face the saddest journey of her life to date. The sky outside was a slate grey colour the prospect of rain, and heavy rain at that, not far away.It matched perfectly Franky's mood as she stepped into the taxi that was to take her to the crematorium where Bea Smith would be laid to rest. She sat back in her seat closed her eyes and began to summon up as much mental strength as she could muster for what lay ahead. As always Bea's face was at the forefront of her thoughts . After a rocky start they had come to share so much; by the end their relationship was one of love. Not the physical sort of course, but a deep, meaningful platonic sisterly type.They had both come to rely on each other so much. Franky's visits to see Bea in Wentworth were massively looked forward to by both.And now they were gone. Franky could feel the tears welling up inside her again as she closed her eyes and conjured up another vision. But this time it wasn't Bea. This time it was a blond. The person who could have filled the aforementioned hole in Franky's heart. The person who for almost two and a half years now the brunette had had no contact with. But not a day had gone by that she hadn't thought of her. Despite the fact that Erica Davidson had walked out of Franky's life without a word; despite the fact that she had driven Franky mad by refusing to admit her true feelings towards her; despite all the barriers and excuses and unfair punishments she had put in Franky's path Erica had remained the love of the brunettes life. Franky had often imagined what Erica would be up to now. She liked to think that she was suffering in a loveless marriage; that she had made her bed and now would have to lie in it; that she wished that she had gone with her heart rather than her head and had waited for Franky. But reflected Franky , as the taxi pulled into the small car park at the Crematorium all that was irrelevant. To her Erica was history and so alas was Bea. The lack of other cars told Franky that this would be a sparsely attended event. To the best of her knowledge Bea had never spoken about any friends outside of Wentworth. She had lived for her daughter Debbie, but after her callous killing, and her avenging of it Bea had lost all interest in the outside world, realising that being locked up would be her fate for the rest of her days. 

Franky got out of the taxi and headed inside. The rain had somehow held off but the dark clouds in the distance told her that a storm was brewing. As she had anticipated there were only a handful of fellow mourners in attendance one of whom she could tell was Will Jackson,there to represent Wentworth, and someone with whom Bea had always had a friendly relationship. Franky sat in one of the pews about half way from the front and waited for the short service to begin.She watched as the priest appeared and walked to the coffin in which Bea's body lay . He was just about to start speaking when Franky heard the door to the crematorium closing behind her 

'For fucks sake 'she said inwardly 'Show some respect and at least be on time' 

She was aware of someone moving into the row behind her.Directly behind her in fact as there was no indication from her peripheral vision as to who it was.The priest started to speak in memory of Bea and at once Franky could feel the tears returning as her emotions began once more to come to the surface. She found herself sniffing and of her shoulders beginning to gently rock.From behind her there appeared a beautifully manicured, unadorned left hand offering her a tissue. Franky took it and without turning around whispered a grateful 'Thank you ' over her shoulder. She felt the same hand giving her a supportive little rub on her shoulder the sort of kind gesture to which Franky was unaccustomed.The service came and went. Franky dabbed her eyes and turned to thank the stranger behind her. But there was nobody there. Only the lingering smell of a perfume which Franky couldn't quite place.She gathered up her bag nodded to Will Jackson and headed out of the building. The car park was as it had been before the service with the exception of an expensive looking red sports car which sat in one of the bays. Again Franky had the feeling of deja vu as she glanced at it wondering to whom it belonged. The rain which had been threatening all day began to fall steadily and she was just about to go looking for her umbrella when from behind her she heard 

'Hello Franky' 

The brunette was stopped in her tracks not daring to believe whose voice she believed it to be. 

'How are you' the voice continued. 

This time Franky willed herself to turn and as she did so she could have been forgiven for thinking she was seeing a ghost for standing in front of her was Erica Davidson. For almost the first time in her life Franky Doyle was speechless.Her mind was whirling as a mixture of emotions swept through her. Here she was standing looking at the love of her life and yet the scenario was all wrong. She had just been witness to Bea's funeral and now she was expected to feel overjoyed at seeing Erica again after so long apart.How could she possibly deserve happiness in this situation .It would just be wrong.Instead she steeled herself as the devil on her shoulder won over her . She would not be happy. She would fight against it.Without even realising it she spat out her reply 

'What the fuck are you doing here?' 

She could tell straight away that Erica was stunned by the vitriol in Franky's words. 

'Please Franky, I didn't come here for a fight' 

'No ? Then I'll ask again. Why are you here? 

'To pay my respects to Bea. Despite what you may believe I do have a heart. I was very fond of her. She didn't deserve any of this. She deserved so much more. Like having you as a friend.' 

'Well now it's over you can go. You've done your good deed. Your conscience is clear.' 

'Listen Franky. I can understand you being pissed at me. I deserve your contempt . The way I treated you.The way I lied to you.The way I left Wentworth with not so much as a word. The fact that I haven't been in touch . Believe me . I wanted to .But the longer I was away from you the harder it became to get up the courage to get in contact. And then I heard about poor Bea's murder and I thought ,no I hoped , that you would be here and I would see you.' 

The steady rain suddenly became a downpour as the overhead clouds appeared to catch the mood of the day.It certainly captured the mood of Franky Doyle at that particular moment. One small comment would open a pandora box of harsh insults. 

'What do you want Erica ? Why are you really here ? To tell me that you've moved on .That I should forget about you . That you're happily married to what's his name and plan to have 2.4 children . Well if that's the case then great. Live a lie the way you always have because I'm done trying to make you face reality. In fact the best thing you could do right now is to fuck off and leave me alone.' 

The raw emotion with which she spoke had Franky on the verge of tears once again . But she was determined that she would not let Erica see her upset. She turned on her heels and began to walk across the all but deserted car park, the heavy rain immediately soaking her through her clothes. The poisonous tone of Franky's words wounded Erica to the core. But this was a different Erica Davidson . She wasn't the Governor anymore. Now they were on a level playing field. Now she didn't have to be as careful how she spoke to her. She watched as the brunette walked away from her - again. This time though she wouldn't let it happen. She walked out from the shelter under which they had been standing and immediately felt the cold icy rain pierce her wet skin. She allowed her eyes to glance up at the grey layers above her and knew for sure that there was a lot more rain to come before the skies cleared. Franky had reached the exit to the car park when she heard a voice yelling behind her 

'Wait ' 

Despite all that she had said moments earlier she stopped and turned , a mixture of rain and tears mingling on her face. She kept her head bowed as Erica came towards her. 

' How the fuck dare you to speak to me like that !' the blond roared. 'Poor little Franky Doyle. Just her against the whole world. Still carrying that massive chip round on your shoulder. Still refusing to accept help from anyone. Still thinks she knows best. Look Franky I know I hurt you. I've already said I'm sorry . If you really want us to be over just say the word. But let's get a few facts straight first. Yes I left without saying goodbye but I had no option. One second I was in my office , the next I was being told to leave.This wasn't a game of Monopoly. No passing Go . No collecting 2 million dollars.All I could do was collect up my belongings and be escorted off the building.I remember standing at my car , holding a pathetic cardboard box filled with useless possessions and staring at your cell window, hoping against hope that you might look out and see me. But of course you didn't. I knew that you'd hear the news of my leaving from someone else and that you'd be pissed but I hoped you'd understand. There was no way of getting in touch with you . I know how the prison system works remember. Any letters I might try and send would have been intercepted and you'd never have seen them. Coming to visit you was a non-starter. I was about as welcome as a fart in a phone box' 

Despite herself and despite her best efforts Franky allowed herself to smile at Erica's words. She'd never heard the blonde use such colourful language before and the sheer unexpectedness of it seemed to break the spell of hostility between the two of them. They had both been refusing to give an inch, every word between them sharp enough to slice through the cold, wet air.But now Franky had allowed her true emotions to slip to the surface.She had known enough heartache in her life to have shattered her but Erica's love was worth everything to her.The droplets of rain clung to her lashes as she lifted her face and stared directly at the woman she loved. 

'Why Miss Davidson I didn't know you could be so course' she said with mock admonishment 

'Oh there's plenty more where that came from ........if you'll give me the chance' 

The brief relaxed atmosphere between them quickly disappeared as the realisation of what Erica was asking hit home 

'I don't think I can Erica . I've been let down by so many people so often that I'm scared that one more rejection might just about tip me over the edge. I do love you but maybe that's not enough.How do we know how things will be between us. We might end up at each others throats.I just don't know if I can allow myself to be hurt again.' 

'Have you ever thought Franky of how much I need you' replied Erica. 'you know my life hasn't exactly been a bed of roses since leaving Wentworth. Okay, I was able to go back and work in my father's law firm and so financially I guess I'm doing okay....but that's where the good news ends. You mentioned before that it might be best if you forgot about me.That I had a husband and children . Well let me put your mind at rest . I broke up with him as you put it as soon as I left Wentworth. ' 

Erica reached out and tenderly lifted Franky's chin so that they were looking directly into each others rain soaked eyes. 

'I mean how could I marry him when I was in love with someone else. And as for children....well yeah I would like to have them eventually but only with the right person beside me. Listen my love. From almost the first minute we met you've had me. I've fought against it for so long for a variety of reasons but you know what Franky Doyle I'm all done fighting. I love you . Do you hear me I LOVE YOU.Don't you think you deserve some happiness in your life. Don't you think that Bea would have wanted you to be happy . She may be gone in one way but she'll always be in our head and heart.' 

Franky Doyle stood quietly and stared at the blonde beauty opposite her.It was strange , frightening even, how she could go from spiting venom at Erica to being totally infatuated by her and not being able to imagine being without her.Erica was right . Bea would have wanted her to be happy.She would never ever forget her friend. But right at this moment life had to go on. Her soulmate was beside her begging for the chance.This was not the time for stubbornness or self pity . Carpe Diem . Wasn't that the phrase. Seize the day or something like that.She looked at Erica as for the first time in days a smile broke out on her face.The sparkle would return to her eyes in time but the tongue sliding provocatively over her bottom lip let Erica know that she had her Franky back 

'Kiss me Governor' the brunette growled 

'I thought Doyle you'd never ask' smirked Erica 

When their lips came together it was as if the rest of the world appeared to melt away ; that they were all alone , kissing in the rain , expressing their love for each other, neither caring that the rain was continuing to chill their skin. When they broke from it they looked at each other both realising without needing to say it of the potential they now had for a wonderful future that lay before them. 

'Ready to come home Franky? ' Erica whispered 

'Yeah I'm ready ' the brunette replied intertwining her fingers with Erica's as they walked slowly to her car . As if on cue the rain eased and the merest sign of blue sky emerged on the horizon. Franky Doyle lifted her hand and blew a kiss to the heavens. 

'Be good up there Red' she said.'Give Debbie a big hug for me.' 

She looked over the roof of the car and saw Erica smiling at her. They had each come to terms with their demons. They each had the love of her life by their sides. They were ready to move on . They had never been happier. 

' 

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies to Bridget fans but as I've mentioned before for me its Frerica forever. Hope you enjoyed . Any comments etc.


End file.
